With so many beautiful gardens within the Blue Mountains Area it was hard to find just one to visit. After searching on the internet and asking around on Instagram I finally decided on the Blue Mountains Botanical Gardens!
My decision was made based mainly on two reasons. Entry into the gardens are free and most of the gardens are wheel chair accessible. (my mother was visiting with us so this was an important factor). They also have an opportunity for you to hire motorised scooters if the terrain is a little tricky for the wheel chair!
The first thing we noticed was how big the gardens were! Sitting on 28 hectares of land and surrounded by World Heritage Forrest the garden is home to over 20,000 plants and has so many areas to explore that you need plenty of time to experience it all.
We started in the visitor centre looking over the expansive space from a lookout the protrudes out from the building. We could see how the paths wound down along throughout the garden so visitors could view each area as a seperate space, and the little pockets of hidden spots and shelters for resting and admiring.
Exploring the Blue Mountains Botanical garden we were surprised to view so many varying plant species. The garden has approximately 6,000 different plant species and they are grouped together in such sections as the rock, formal, and bog garden as well the Woodlands, Jungle and Gondawana walk. The garden also showcases Rhododendrons, Conifers and the collections of 14 plant explorers. So much to explore!
Walking around the garden was easy, some hills on the way back up but in general the paths are spacious and even. The botanical gardens also offer a volunteer led walk around the garden leaving at 11.30am to visitors so you can learn more about the history and highlights. They also have (although not available at time of writing due to Covid) a 20min shuttle tour around the garden which leaves from the visitor centre.
With so much to explore we needed a lot more time than we had left in the day. What we saw and experienced was amazing and we will definitely be back again to explore further… maybe a night in the on-site accommodation will be a lovely way to see more!
What: Blue Mountains Botanical Gardens
Opening hours: Mon – Fri; 9am to 5.30pm Weekends; 9.30am to 5.30pm. Closed: Christmas Day
Where: Bells Line of Road, Mount Tomah, NSW 2758 Australia
How Much: Free ( cost for hiring of electric scooters and shuttle tour)
Need to know: Can get busy on weekends, there is a cafe and a restaurant on site but you can also use one of the bbq’s or bring a picnic to enjoy in a quiet spot, bring your camera for some amazing photos.
Have you been to the Blue Mountains Botanical Gardens? Or do you have a favourite Gardens you would like to share?
Safe Travels,
Kerrie
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The Blue Mountains is somewhere I’d love to visit. I didn’t know there was a Botanical Gardens there. Next time we do a NSW trip (I have heaps of rellies in NSW) I might lock in a visit to this area.
Kerrie, This looks like an amazing place to visit and how wonderful that it is free. Beautiful photos! #lovin’lifelinky
I was thinking about your post last week, or perhaps the week before Kerrie as I mentioned then that I’d only ever been to the Blue Mountains once in the early 1990s. It came up as part of a discussion about travel and your blog post had reminded me of the many MANY places I haven’t been to in Australia. Places I’d like to visit.
Money is a bit of an issue for me, but South Australia, the Great Ocean Road etc are places I’m adding to my list for – when I can afford it and when things settle down!
I loved visiting there when we lived in Western Sydney as it was such a good place to take photos!
Denyse
I didn’t know the Blue Mountains had Botanical Gardens! I was planning to give the grown up kids and my grown up nieces and nephews some “experience” vouchers for Christmas and thought of the Blue Mountains scenic rail and skyway combo. Which of course then means an extended family long weekend to the Blue Mountains next year. I wondered what else we could do there that was nice for the grandparents as well, and BINGO!!! Here it is. Botanic Gardens. Thanks for this!!